Does any Audiogon member have a Holbo air-bearing turntable?

@whart 

I never had an issue dealing with Kuzma in Slovenia. In fact, back in the day, I'd get overnight shipments from there to NY

I've just got back to Sydney from an Expo in Melbourne.  A guy I know needed an urgent shipment from Vienna, about 4-1/2 hours drive distance from Holbo in Slovenia.  The flight itself took almost two days.

He got a nasty surprise on the price of air transport, which was about double what the sender had quoted.  About A$160,000.  Oh, the shipment was a special build Mercedes, modified in Italy, and needed for the Expo!

No such issue with Bostjan Holc of Holbo who offers an all-inclusive fixed price including all taxes, duties, insurance and shipping.

Yeah, I haven't had many international shipments since the tariffs kicked in here in the US. But Slovenia to AUS doesn't implicate US tariffs. I know AUS was always expensive for exotic automobiles b/c I was shocked at the prices, and this was back in the day. (FWIW, I tried to buy a Brough motorcycle in AUS but could not get it vetted by someone who knew the bikes so I passed). Good luck with the table - it sounds like an ideal set up at a reasonable price. 

$160,000 for shipping!!!! Even in AUS dollars that seems impossible.

@lewm 

$160,000 for shipping!!!! Even in AUS dollars that seems impossible

Based on the cost of the DHL Express shipping charge for my 18-kg Holbo package, my first guess was A$40,000, but Troy said double my guess and double again!

As far as I know there are no import duties on cars into Australia, but there may have been a luxury vehicle tax.  My understanding is that the A$160,000 was just for the air freight.  Troy was not a happy man - he had been quoted A$80,000!

We are a big country (about the same area as mainland USA) but we are a very small market, less than the population of Texas. Someone once commented that Australia is characterised by distance the way Switzerland is characterised by mountains.  I like to point out that we do have snowfields and they are bigger than Switzerland.

It is a sweltering 40-degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Sydney today, but snow is forecast today on the Snowy Mountains to the south, still in the same State.

Yesterday I bought two sandstone slabs to go under the Holbo when it arrives.  I will separate the slabs with constrained layer damping.  Each slab is 600-mm x 400-mm by 50-mm and each probably tips the scales over 20-kg.  Under A$40 each.

My partner has banned scales from her pad in Sydney!  I will weigh them properly when I get them home to Canberra.

I am likely to buy an Italian Solidsteel S3-3 rack to go under the slabs.  The maximum shelf weight is 60-kg so should just squeeze in under that!  That model in the Solidsteel range does not have much in the way of vibration absorption, but I figure there's no substitute for mass.  At least it is reasonably affordable